StarCrossed
by ProjectM.G
Summary: Seven years have passed since their graduation from high school. Out main characters have all grown up and are living their own lives. But they don't seem to be quite happy with their current circumstances.
1. Chapter 1: Prologue

**_Chapter One_**

* * *

><p>Ring. Ring.<p>

Trembling, Kagami reached for the phone. She picked it up nervously; she had a premonition that something bad might happen.

'H… Hello?'

'Good afternoon, Miss Hiiragi. This is the Bank of Jap…'

Bang!  
>Kagami smashed her phone to the ground. She cuddled herself under her blanket.<p>

'W… Why? Why could this happen to me?'

…Nobody answered her.

'If only…'

She had ruined her career. Wasted all her money. Destroyed her future.

She had nothing left. Aside from the Hiiragi Residence. Aside from her parents, sisters, and friends.

'Tsukasa… Konata… Miyuki…'

Her tears damped the bed sheets.

'If only…'

'… If only… I could turn the time back…'

'… Back to seven years ago…!'

* * *

><p>J-e-e-z-.<p>

Konata scrutinized the newspaper for the article on the 15th AKB Manga Competition.

Nothing on the first page, except for a few reports on the recent economy recession.

'Let's try the second page then,' she said to herself, grasping her pen tightly.

Ah! There it was, lying comfortably at the corner of the paper.

Konata scanned the list of winners.

'Top prize… Kakiflew… Second prize… Arararagi…'

There was no 'Izumi Konata' on the article. Not even in the list of consolation prize winners.

She had failed again. For the seventh time in a row.

'Why?'

She banged her head against the table, trying to figure out a reason.

All her artist friends had done it, but why she still could not?

'Why?'

All these years of 'hard work' had been in vain.

How much did she wish that she could travel back in time!

How much did she yearn for the easy-going life that she enjoyed during high school!

What an unsuccessful person she was!

* * *

><p>Ding. Dong.<p>

Miyuki lullabied her baby daughters to sleep and rushed to answer the doorbell.

'Hello?'

She opened the house door.

A hideous-looking man was standing there. Wearing a crumpled shirt, a tattered pair of black long pants and a half-torn tie.

His originally handsome face was covered with bruises and scars.

Upon seeing Miyuki, he knelt down and burst into tears.

'D… Dear… I… I'm really sorry!'

Miyuki turned her head and walked away, ignoring the poor man's cries.

'Get away.'

'D… Dear?'

'I SAID, GET AWAY FROM MY HOUSE! YOU'RE NOT MY HUSBAND ANYMORE!'

She wiped off a few tears in her eyes and ran into the nearest bedroom.

She banged the door close and locked it up so that she would not see her 'husband' anymore.

'W… Why? Why did you have to come now, of all times?'

She broke into tears.

'Mother… Why?'

'…'

'W… Why? Why did I have to marry that bastard?'

* * *

><p>Beep. Beep.<p>

'Good afternoon sir, this is Miss Tsukasa from Smile Company…'

'…'

'…'

'Sir, I'm very sorry…'

'WHAT'S THE PURPOSE OF SAYING SORRY NOW? YOUR MISTAKE HAS CAUSED ME TO LOSE THOUSANDS OF PROFIT! THOUSANDS! THAT'S TIMES YOUR MONTHLY SALARY!'

The voice over the phone was so loud that it scared the colleagues sitting beside Tsukasa.

'Sir, I'm really, really sorry…'

She was about to cry.

'SORRY? ALL YOU CAN SAY IS SORRY? HOW ARE YOU GOING TO COMPENSATE ME FOR THIS? LET ME WARN YOU, BE THANKFUL I DID NOT COMPLAIN THIS TO YOUR BOSS!'

'Yes, I know sir, but…'

'DON'T EVER LET ME SEE YOU AGAIN! GET IT?'

'Yes, I understand…'

Beep. Beep.

Tsukasa laid down her face on the table and started to cry. That was the third complain from her client in one week.

'S… Sister…'

She bent down her body to reach for something in her drawer.

It was a photo. A photo of her elder sister, Kagami.

Her sister seemed to smile broadly at her. She was showing off her degree in the photo.

Tsukasa cried even harder. How could she survive on in this world now?


	2. Chapter 2: The Beginning of Kagami

**_Chapter Two_**

* * *

><p>'<em>Career and college planning huh…'<em>

'_What's yours, Kagami?'_

'_Me? I put down law as my first choice, economics as my second and humanities as my third.'_

'_Oh, it doesn't really sound like fun to me.'_

'_Does it have to sound fun?'_

* * *

><p>Kagami recalled some of her past memories.<p>

'Tsukasa was so excited when she saw my graduation photo!'

'_Mum, Dad, look! Kagami looked so cool in her suit!'_

'And Mum and Dad were so proud of me!'

'_Kagami, congratulations!'_

'Even Miyuki… and Konata...'

'_You have received a voicemail from the number 8868xxxx.'_

'…'

'_Hi, Kagami! This is Miyuki. I am so happy that you finally graduated from university! Unfortunately I'm abroad hence I can't get back in time for your ceremony. But anyway, congratulations!'_

'…'

'_Eh… Kagami? Me, Konata here. Er… I'm a bit sick so… I can't go to your house today. Still, congratulations on your graduation!'_

'Konata… she sounded so insincere there! Sick? I think she was playing her latest games!'

She paused to wipe off her tears.

'But Konata was right… It isn't fun at all…'

'Law isn't fun… Stocks isn't fun too…'

'But what can I do now, my friends? Tell me, Konata! Tell me, Tsukasa! Miyuki!'

* * *

><p>'Kagami?' Her mother was knocking at her door. Kagami woke up from her slumber.<p>

'Mo… Mom?' Kagami sluggishly walked over to the door. She had been 'resting' in her room for the past two days.

'Kagami?' her mother asked as she opened the door for her. 'I was thinking that you might need something to eat, since you were in your room for yesterday…'

'No, Mom, thank you,' Kagami forced herself to smile. Her mother was unaware of what happened to her.

'Are you sick?'

'Mom, I'm fine.'

'Kagami... Don't push yourself too hard,' her mother advised.

'Mom, I already knew from the start that this job would be tough. I promise that it won't affect my health,' assured Kagami.

Her mother seemed satisfied. She turned back and walked away. Kagami closed the door behind her.

When her mother appeared to have gone far away, Kagami started to weep.

'How…? How could I disappoint my mother?'

'Why…? Why is Fate turning her back against me?'

'Anyone, tell me! TELL ME!'

* * *

><p>Her future. Her dreams. Her goals. Everything was ruined.<p>

Two weeks ago, Kagami resigned from her job at the law office.

It was a reckless decision. Kagami did not think further about the consequences when she handed the letter over to her employer.

She was angry at not being given a promotion like other people.

'_But Ms. Hiiragi, your work experience is still not enough for us to promote you…'_

But she did not care. She wanted to succeed in her career earlier than other people.

She thought that with her talents, she could get a higher pay at other firms.

But she was wrong.

'_Sorry, Ms. Hiiragi, out firm already has enough employees...'_

'_Sorry, we could not accept you…'_

How hasty was her decision! How foolish was she to resign when she could have a better future sticking to her firm!

She thought, 'Never mind, I can still earn a living with my investments.'

Again, she was wrong.

Destiny seems to be like a stack of dominoes. If one piece collapses, the other pieces will soon follow suit.

Never did she have imagined that one week ago, the worst economy disaster in five decades shattered the whole world.

Stock prices fell heavily, including Kagami's.

She was in big trouble now. She had lost her sole source of income.

What's more, she had accumulated a huge debt of one million yen.

One million yen! That was ten times more than what she had earned for the past few years!

'It wasn't fun at all…'

'What have I done to create this mess…?'

'Konata… why…? WHY!'

* * *

><p>'I must find money to repay my debt now…'<p>

'I can't depend on my family… My sisters even more so…'

'What can I do now…?'

Kagami rummaged through her chest of drawers like a mad person in search for business cards. She had been collecting them since university days.

'Chinese restaurant… Too low the pay,' she tossed away a card she had found and continued her search.

'Packaging factory… Still too low…'

She could take any job available now. But she wanted those _high-paid jobs. _

She searched and searched, hoping to find one card that would introduce her to such a job. She wished to settle her debt as soon as possible.

Kagami didn't know how many cards she had thrown away. Probably hundreds of them. But inside her, she knew that she would eventually find one somehow.

Deep inside the drawer, there was one card hidden among a pile of rags.

Kagami took out the card immediately and read it. She laughed miserably.

'Finally... I have to do this kind of job to support my life?'

Tears dripped down her cheek. She wondered when did she start to cry.

'Kagami… You are such a failure in life.'

Trembling, she shoved the card into her branded handbag, quickly washed her sleepy face, put on her best clothes and heavy makeup, and stepped out of the house to the surprise of her mother in the kitchen.


	3. Chapter 3: The Beginning of Konata

**_Chapter Three_**

* * *

><p>She scribbled some things on a piece of white paper, crumpled it frustratingly and tossed it away.<p>

She repeated the whole cycle again. Again and again.

Nobody knew how many times had she done the same thing. Too many to count.

On the tiled floor were bits and balls of paper scattered all around. As if somebody had taken the wastepaper basket of a busy office and dumped it into the room.

The whole place was a total mess. Clothes, both dirty and clean, were here and there.

A mountain of manga and empty DVD boxes on her bed too.

The room reeked of the smell of something rotten and gone moldy.

The blue-haired girl sat in an awkward position on her chair, musing about something.

She was lacking of ideas. She needed them to draw her manga.

And then (she thought) she would publish it. Followed by the 'predictable' process of being adapted into a highly successful anime.

She would make a big profit! She did not have to rely on her only parent – her father to support her life now!

Any inspiration for her manga would help her now. She clenched her fist and bit her teeth, trying as hard as she could to think of one.

But she could not.

She threw away her pen and laid down her head on the desk.

The day was hot. The unbearable heat made her unable to think well.

'But…'

She tiptoed over to her laptop. Her only asset after she had sold away all her figurines and DVD for money to buy food.

'…Maybe I could just relax with a bit of games,' she smiled and tapped the power switch.

Her laziness had overwhelmed her again. It was the umpteenth time she had forgotten all about her work and indulged in her world of fantasy.

'_Konata, you're hopeless!'_

That's what Kagami said to her on their last meeting, about half a year ago.

Although in a joking tone, Kagami was not treating this as a joke at all in her heart.

'I'm really hopeless,' thought Konata as she waited for her game to load. 'But never mind, things will be better after this.'

She had left her destiny to God and chose not to work hard. Nobody could stop her now.

She was indeed, _hopeless_.

* * *

><p>'What – should – I – do?' This was the very first thing Konata asked herself the next morning.<p>

After the last AKB Manga Competition, the next one – the Summer Manga Festival Award was scheduled to end at two days later.

But what could she do? She had been gaming for the last two days and had not even started drawing a sketch of her new work.

She rubbed her sleepy eyes and tried to focus on her manga.

But the demon would always win over her. Soon her head was bobbing out of her consciousness and saliva began dripping down from her mouth.

Her body suddenly jerked. She realized that she must not slack now or else she would not meet the deadline in time.

'Ideas, Ideas, oh, my God! Give me some IDEAS please!' she shouted to herself in her mind.

God would not even bother to help her. Her paper remained blank.

'Jeez…' she snubbed.

'I've got to find someway to make up a manga, by hook or by crook!' she thought.

Dark thoughts arose in her mind. She was thinking of cheating.

'That's it!' Konata finally made her decision. She made her way to her untidy bookshelf and picked out a manga magazine.

She flipped through the pages; her eyes never stopped gazing at the black-and-white images inside.

Finally, she had found her target. It was drawn by a fellow mangaka who made his debut just two months ago.

'He's new so… I don't think anyone would discover…' Konata thought purposefully.

She returned to the desk, holding the magazine tightly in her hand and started to draw out her 'creation'.

* * *

><p>'Konata!' Soujiro Izumi called out to her daughter.<p>

'What is it, Dad?'

'Your manga, it won the Summer Manga Festival Award!'

'Really?' Konata rushed to her father and took over the newspaper in his hand.

She browsed through the page.

Apart from the recent news about the hospitalized idol Kogami Akira and a commentary on the economic disaster, there was one small article that read, 'New star Konata Izumi voted as First Prize in Summer Manga Fest'.

She could not believe her eyes. 'I… I won an award?' was her first reaction.

'Congratulations, my daughter,' Soujiro was smiling widely for the first time in many years.

'Not only that, I was also the… Most Creative Mangaka?'

'Right, Konata. Ah, to think that my daughter has grown so big…' her father, who was the creator of many popular light novel series, felt relieved that his daughter had finally hit the zenith of her unsuccessful career.

'I… made it? I MADE IT!' she jumped up and down with the newspaper article in her hand. The floor shook tremendously as if an earthquake was happening.

She was not feeling any guilty with what she had done to win the Award. The sense of victory had already overwhelmed her thoughts.

* * *

><p>'Aunt!'<p>

'What, Johnny?' replied Patricia from the kitchen.

'Is this your high school friend? I thought I saw her in your photo album,' the twelve-year-old child asked, showing Patricia the newspaper article on Konata. He was the son of her cousin, who was away on a business trip.

'Oh my, Konata you have really done it,' Patricia could not hide her excitement too when she saw that her best friend was finally successful. 'I better congratulate her now,' she moved to the phone.

'But, Aunt…' the boy wanted to say something but stopped halfway through.

'What is it, Johnny?'

'…Aunt your friend is a big copycat!' the boy cried.

'Y… You mean… K… Konata?' Patricia stammered. 'W… Why?'

'This…' the boy handed over to her a page from one of his manga magazines. He showed to her Konata's manga as well, which was attached on the next page of the newspaper.

'W… What?' it was unbelievable for Patricia. The two mangas both look the same – the story, the characters and even the styles. Konata's only had a few subtle differences on the character designs from the original.

'H… Have you talked to anyone about this, or discussed this on 2channel yet?'

'No,' the boy was rather bemused by Patricia's question.

'This is only a matter of time,' thought Patricia, 'before anyone reports this to the authorities, even if the original work was drawn by an unknown mangaka! I have to warn Konata about this!'


	4. Chapter 4: The Beginning of Miyuki

**_Chapter Four_**

* * *

><p>'<em>According to latest reports by the Statistical Department, the number of retrenched workers has increased from last year. The worrying thing is that, the rate of illegal activities such as prostitution and robberies has also risen…'<em>

Ding. Dong.

Miyuki switched off the television and hurried to the door. 'Who's there?' she asked.

'It's Takane here! Your neighbor, Takane!'

'Alright!' Miyuki opened the house door and welcomed the old lady into the house.

'Good morning, Mrs. Takane. May I ask why are you here today?' she asked in a polite demeanor.

'I've made some extra porridge here,' said Mrs. Takane, handing over to Miyuki a big pot, 'I think your kids would definitely love them, so Mrs. Miyuki… Mrs. Miyuki?'

Miyuki noticed that she was not paying attention to her neighbor at all. 'Oh, sorry…'

'What's wrong, Mrs. Miyuki?'

'Nothing, Mrs. Takane,' assured Miyuki with a smile on her face.

'Is that man pestering you again?' asked a concerned Mrs. Takane. 'Do you need any help?'

'Thank you, Mrs. Takane, but I don't need any help. The papers have already been filed.'

'I see… Well, sorry for taking too much of your time, Mrs. Miyuki. My grandchildren are waiting for me in my house.'

'Thank you and I hope you have a great day ahead,' Miyuki gave her appreciations as her old neighbor stepped out of the door.

'Porridge huh…' she stared at the big pot with distaste.

* * *

><p>'<em>You bastard woman! Look at the porridge you have made!'<em>

It was an ordeal living with that man. Till this day, Miyuki could still recall clearly the inhumane and beastly acts he had done to her.

'_Eat it down! I say it again, I want you to eat it down!' _

The man grasped Miyuki's hair and tried to force her to gulp down everything she had cooked.

No matter how she cried and begged him to stop, he would not listen.

Her mouth was scorched badly from the hot porridge and she could not consume anything besides liquid for the next few days.

'_Useless woman! Useless woman! Useless woman! Bitch!'_

He slapped Miyuki so hard in the face that the marks were still visible till this day.

But what had she done wrong? Other than cooking, she did the housework perfectly well! She just did not know how to express her talent in making cuisines for her husband.

'_Eh…? Cooking lessons? What a waste of my money…'_

Everything was only 'money, money, money' for that man. He could see nothing else in this world except for loads and loads of banknotes.

'_Today? I've got clients, no time for that. Don't wait for me to return.'_

Since the birth of their second daughter, the man totally became a different person. Not only was he more violent, but also he was so obsessed with making money that he could not take out time for his family.

'_Miyuki, it's normal for men to be like that. Just be patient with him.' _That's what her mother said.

Oh yes, she was also the one who suggested the matchmaker to pick that man as Miyuki's first date in the beginning.

'_Miyuki how's the man?'_

'_I don't know, I don't think he'll love me…'_

The man was indeed handsome as the matchmaker had introduced and he also held a high position in a big company.

But during their first date, Miyuki could not sense any sincerity from him at all. He seemed to be interested with her because her family was wealthy.

'_Miyuki, that's not important. Your husband needs to be a professional like him to preserve our reputation. Imagine how would our rich friends and relatives think if you marry some poor guy who claims to love you but with no family background at all?'_

'_I understand, Mother. I'll try again next time.'_

And she eventually married that man.

* * *

><p>'<em>That's it! I have enough of you! I don't want to live here anymore!'<em>

Her temper had burst and she stomped out of the mansion they were living in, bringing away their two daughters.

With the little amount of money she had, she rented a small house at the suburban area and started to live her life of peacefulness.

Sadly, both his and her parents still didn't know that they had applied for divorcement.

She did not want anyone to know about this. Especially her family and her friends.

_A few months ago. Ring. Ring._

'_Hey, Miyuki, it's me, Kagami. I thought you would like it, so… do you want to have a reunion this Sunday? With Konata and Tsukasa?'_

'_No thanks, I've some family matters to do.'_

'_Oh, is that so? Well, it's unfortunate, but goodbye still!'_

'How could I bring myself to tell them the truth?' Miyuki asked herself, weeping. 'How could I tell them that I've just filed a divorce?'

She looked at her two daughters and wiped away her tears. 'No…' she reminded herself, '…I can't let Jean and Jane see their mother like this. I must, I must… work hard now, as a single parent, to bring them up!'


	5. Chapter 5: The Beginning of Tsukasa

**_Chapter Five_**

* * *

><p>'<em>But if I were the older sister… and I'm all dependent and responsible…'<em>

_Tsukasa fell into delusion. _

'_Little Sis!' cried Kagami. 'Show me your homework!'_

'_Again?' complained Tsukasa in a cocky yet whimsical tone. 'You're so hopeless, Kagami!'_

* * *

><p>Tsukasa was hiding in her secret corner. It was a place in the massive company building that only she knew and no one else.<p>

Nobody, not her colleagues or even the janitor could find her now.

She clutched onto her wooden photo frame tightly and buried her face in it. She wanted some time alone. She needed the time to lament over what she was doing, to escape from the realities of the world she was living in.

'Kagami…' she was weeping. 'How… How can I be like you, Sis…?'

Success was Tsukasa's own dream since a very young age. She had always looked up to her twin sister as a role model of success. Be it in academics, sports or even video games, Tsukasa had aspired for the day when she could be on the same par as her twin sister.

Unfortunately, no matter how she had endeavored in the past twenty-four years, she could not even make it to half her sister's standards.

'_Kagami how's your exam results?'_

'_Meh, I made some careless mistakes and got 95 in the end.'_

'_That's good, Kagami. And what about you, Tsukasa?'_

'_Eh… I didn't prepare enough and got a 45… Sorry, Dad.'_

'I am not lazy, nor am I stupid, but why…? Why does Kagami always do better than me?'

She had been working for this food company called Smiles after her graduation from technical college. Pursuing a career in my field of interest, she thought, would take her closer to her dreams.

But still she couldn't.

Tsukasa wiped her tears off and looked at the grinning girl in the photo. She used that photo as a consolation for herself whenever she met with an obstacle along her path to success.

'Five years, Sis…' Tsukasa wailed. 'I've wasted five years of my life doing nothing but failures!' She grieved over the cruel fate God bestowed upon her.

* * *

><p>'Hey, hey… I've heard that the company is planning for a big "slim-up operation"…' One whispered.<p>

'Yeah, me too. It seems that the company's in big trouble lately. The Directors are worried about the numbers…'

Tsukasa kept her head low as she trudged through the corridor. She understood that she was in no position to eavesdrop at her fellow colleague's conversations, more so to interrupt in them.

'_Listen up ladies and gentlemen. The company is holding another food promotion so get into your groups!'_

'_Oi Nagisa, I heard that this Tsukasa is quite troublesome. Don't let her join our group or else…'_

'_Me too. Her abilities just suck…'_

'_Ha ha, Hiiragi's such a loser…'_

'But I didn't choose this destiny!' Tsukasa shouted to herself. 'Wasn't I hardworking enough? Wasn't I responsible enough? I'm… I'm just weak!'

She was already at the brink of despair. 'My life… Why hasn't my happy days come yet?'

'Should I turn in my resignation before the manager fires me?' said a voice in her mind.

'No…' said another voice. 'If I do, I'll have no more jobs. I can't be successful anymore…'

'But he'll fire you sooner or later!'

'Then I'll just work harder to prove that I'm capable!'

'No, you can't! It's too late! The company's finance is in red already! The "slim-up operation" is starting!'

Tsukasa knocked her own head. 'I mustn't think about giving up… I mustn't think about giving up… I mustn't…' she repeated the lines like a magic chant.

'_DON'T EVER LET ME SEE YOU AGAIN!'_

'_Ms. Hiiragi, your sales this week don't meet the expectations…'_

'_Hiiragi's such a loser…'_

'_Loser! Loser! Loser!'_

The hurting words just kept coming and coming back. They were overwhelming. They ached her head. Tsukasa tried to knock herself back to her senses but they couldn't stop…

'NO!' Finally Tsukasa broke down. She let out such a loud scream that even the Directors fifteen levels above could hear her voice.

And then, her mind completely blanked out.

* * *

><p>'Tsukasa…?'<p>

When she regained consciousness the next day, she found her mother beside her bed.

'M… Mommy?'

'Tsukasa?' From her sleepy eyes Tsukasa could tell that her mother had stayed awake for her the whole night before to look after her.

'W… Where am I?'

Tsukasa looked around. She was not in her own bed. She was not wearing her own clothes either. The room she was in smelled nothing like her own bedroom. It reeked of something unpleasant, probably some kind of medicine.

'Don't worry, Tsukasa. You're in the hospital.'

'What happened to me?'

'You fainted in the company yesterday. Your colleagues sent you here,' her mother explained.

'W… Why? Why did I faint? What happened, Mom?'

'It's nothing,' her mother tried to console her. 'The doctor said it's just over-exhaustion.'

'B… But…'

Tsukasa attempted to move her limbs but she couldn't. She realized that her hands and feet were firmly bound to the bed. She couldn't do anything at all, even bending her body up.

'Why? Why am I strapped to the bed like this, Mom?'


	6. From the Beginning to the Next

**_Chapter 5.5_**

* * *

><p>She lost all her money.<p>

She wanted to get it back.

She hoped for the happiness in the past to come back to her.

* * *

><p>She cheated.<p>

She was totally lazy.

She had sold away her morality to the devil.

* * *

><p>She was divorced.<p>

She had to bring her two children up.

She must strive to win her joyful life as a single parent.

* * *

><p>She failed her dreams.<p>

She could not meet to her sister's standards.

She had horrible nightmares of people that mock at her inability.

* * *

><p>Four girls, four different destinies.<p>

They chose to take their own paths and continued to walk along.

* * *

><p>Playing in the hands of God, how would their eventual fates turn out to be?<p>

What are the sins they have committed to land themselves in such despair?

* * *

><p>Ending the first part of the story…<p>

...Comes a second part.

* * *

><p>After the 'Calm'…<p>

…_Comes the 'Storm'._

* * *

><p>The first chapter of the second arc (Chapter 6), coming soon.<p>

Now then, _the stars shall cross. _


	7. Chapter 6: Another Prologue

**_Chapter Six_**

* * *

><p>There was a small street in the town.<p>

Notorious for the dark, spooky atmosphere that haunted it day and night, the street was called the 'dark alley'.

No sunlight could ever penetrate to the ground below.

Contrary to the brightly lit, joyful shopping district just across it, the 'dark alley' was totally a nightmare. No people in their right mind would go there.

The buildings there were old. Filthy. Some were even completely ruined as if a big fire happened there last night. It was a living hell.

Unfortunately, our heroine, Hiiragi Kagami had no choice but to enter this street.

Like the ramshackle structures there, her life was totally devastated.

Kagami embraced herself as she braved through the darkness of the street. She tried her best not to dirty the clothes she had put on. It was the most expensive dress she ever had.

Kagami held her 'very important' business card tightly in her trembling left hand. Should she lose it, it would mean the end for her.

She looked left and right, hoping to find the one building that she was searching for.

Kagami could sense a few pairs of eyes ogling at her. Probably they were the thugs that the 'dark alley' was so infamous of.

Though scared, she continued to walk along, as she did not want to back away from a 'great' opportunity like this.

At the very end of the lane was the silhouette of a fancily dressed man. He waved his hand at Kagami, as if he was welcoming her.

Fearfully, Kagami muttered, 'I… Is t… this _Mr. P_?'

'Correct,' the man smiled ambiguously, revealing the row of golden teeth in his mouth. 'I can see that you are a bit cold, Miss Hiiragi.'

He took off his black coat and placed it gentlemanly on Kagami's trembling shoulders.

'T… Thank you.'

'Come, Miss Hiiragi… My client is waiting for you, just inside here…' Mr. P opened the black door behind him. 'He said he would be very happy to give you a "treat" for the night, my dear.'

'Hiiragi Kagami, you really are, a sore loser…' Kagami thought to herself, tears starting to flow out of her eyes. 'You finally have to do this… For just some money…'

'Hello, Miss Hiiragi? Are you alright? You can choose not to take up this job if you regret.'

'Yes, I'm alright…' Kagami did not hesitate and immediately stepped into the three-storey building.

* * *

><p>Ring. Ring.<p>

'H… Hello?' Konata took a big yawn. She had just woken up from her sweet dreams.

'Konata! You have to stop!' shouted the voice from the other side.

'W… What?' Konata was still unaware of what she had done. She was still very much obsessed with her recent victories in the manga industry.

'Konata!' cried the voice.

'Wait, w… who are you? Oh right, it's Patricia. Long time no see, pal,' Konata replied lazily. She thought her friend was joking to her.

'No, I mean it, Konata! You're going to be in deep trouble if you continue to do like this!'

'Do… what?'

'Copying other people's works!' Patricia screamed. 'It's wrong, you know!'

'Cop… what?' Konata was still clearly ignorant of her actions.

Ding. Dong.

'Oh wait, the postman's here. See you later,' Konata ignored Patricia's complains and put down the phone.

'Good morning,' she greeted as she opened the door for the postman.

'Good morning. Is this Miss Izumi?' asked the postman.

'Yes.'

'Then please sign on here,' the postman said, handling to her a form. Konata took out her favorite pen from her pocket and signed on it.

'Thank you,' replied the postman. 'Please accept this,' he gave to Konata a big brown envelope.

'Oh my, what would it be…? A congratulatory letter from a big mangaka? An invitation to a lavish party from the publisher? I'm so excited!' she couldn't wait to open the envelope.

She turned her head to look at her left and her right, made sure that nobody was there, and slammed her door shut.

Jumping and dancing, Konata hurried to her room.

'Now then…' she said as she cut open the envelope neatly. '…What would it be?'

She took out several pieces of typewritten papers from the envelope. 'Is this the contract from Kadokawa Shoten? Will my manga be published finally?'

She read the first few lines of the cover page. 'Hmm… So it's the competition organizers. Let's see…'

'Dear Miss Izumi Konata, your work, xxx, which is awarded the first prize in the Summer Manga Festival Award, has been found of…'

Konata froze at the next word she read. 'Hmm… there must be something wrong with that.' She rubbed her eyes.

But the word still remained the same.

She rubbed her eyes again. There was no wrong. The word remained there.

'This can't be…' Konata repeatedly rubbed her eyes to see if it had been typed wrongly. But the word did not change at all.

'No…' Konata tossed away the papers and buried her face in her hands. She could not believe what she had just read.

'How… come… I?'

Clearly printed on the papers were the words, 'your work, xxx, has been found of _plagiarism_…'

* * *

><p>'There you go, Jean and Jane. They have been good kids,' said Mrs. Takane with a big smile, as she handed the two infants over to Miyuki.<p>

Miyuki bowed to the kind old lady. 'Thank you, Mrs. Takane. I've been busy…'

'I already knew that,' interrupted her neighbor. 'You have been finding a job for the whole of today, right?'

'Yes,' replied Miyuki, retaining that grin she forced herself to put on her face.

'How's it going?' asked a concerned Mrs. Takane. 'It must be hard, you know, during this time…'

'It's not a problem,' assured Miyuki. 'If I can't do it today, I'll try again tomorrow.'

She took a deep breath and brought her two kids back into her house.

Miyuki put down the babies in their bedroom and started to make her own dinner. It was already nine at night and she hadn't eaten anything yet.

As she was boiling some water to cook her noodles, Miyuki recalled her unsuccessful attempts for today.

'Maybe I should forget about taking up office jobs,' she thought. 'The economy's doing so bad now… I shouldn't be picky. I didn't have a university degree to start off anyway…'

She dropped out of the medical university she was attending during her third year to get married. It was a wrong decision at the end.

Miyuki added the bag of instant noodles into the hot water and stirred. 'I have to do something quick. Before my kids go hungry…'

'I shouldn't be too dependant on Mrs. Takane too…' Miyuki put in the egg and stirred. She sighed. 'When will it be the last time my children have something to eat for dinner? If I do not hurry now, it will be all too late…'

She suddenly thought of her former friends in high school. 'How's the other people doing? I hope you are all doing well…'

* * *

><p>'Mrs. Hiiragi…' began the doctor. The mother of four wiped away the perspiration on her forehead. '…When was the last time your daughter shows this kind of symptoms?'<p>

'I don't know. But as her colleagues mentioned, she has been kind of stressed out lately…' she replied accordingly.

The doctor did not say anything. He scribbled something on his files, looking quite solemn.

'Doctor!' Mrs. Hiiragi suddenly cried. She knelt down on the floor and held on to the doctor's hand tightly. 'What kind of sickness does Tsukasa have? Doctor, please tell me!'

'I understand, Mrs. Hiiragi. Please calm down…' The doctor put away her hand and invited her to sit on her chair.

He cleared his throat and continued, 'from the brain scans, it seems that your daughter has suffered from…'

Mrs. Hiiragi's eyes widened as lips of the doctor moved to pronounce his last word. She hanged her mouth open, totally shocked at what the doctor was saying.

'I… Is this true?' she muttered.

'I'm really, really sorry, Mrs. Hiiragi,' apologized the doctor.

'D… Does this mean s… she can't work anymore?'

'Not really. Normally, patients like her will be able to return to their work after they have recovered,' explained the doctor.

'When will she recover?' cried the mother. 'Doctor! When?'

'Calm down, Mrs. Hiiragi…' consoled the young man. 'Umm… At the very least, it would take up to a year…'

'W… What if she doesn't recover at all?'

'Don't worry, Mrs. Hiiragi. I'll make sure she gets cured of her sickness as soon as possible.'

But how could she not get worried? It was her daughter! Her daughter could not work for at least a year! She would be strapped to the bed all day and subjected to all sorts of medicines and treatments that she did not like at all since very young. Her smallest daughter, Tsukasa!

Mrs. Hiiragi started to weep. She understood that it would be a tough time for her little child and herself. But what could she do? She could not change anything. Especially not the fact that her daughter had a mental illness. Everything was already predicted by fate.


	8. Chapter 7: The Next of Kagami

**_Chapter Se7en_**

* * *

><p><em>Warning: This chapter contains mature themes not intended for children. <em>

* * *

><p>'Why…? Why do I deserve this fate?'<p>

Images of that dirty man were etched deeply in her mind.

'_He said he would be very happy to give you a "treat" for the night, my dear.'_

'Well, at least I have these…' Kagami picked up the crumpled banknotes scattered around her pink naked body. She buried her face among her hands full of red and green paper and started to chuckle for no reason. 'My body, it's so filthy… I'm such a filthy bitch…'

'_Edison. Call me next time when you need more.'_

Those were the last sentences from the dirty man after he had been done with her. He took out a stack of cash from his thick and heavy leather wallet and dumped it on the bed.

'_Last night was great, Miss.' _

The poor girl slowly picked herself up and did a little massage to relief her pain. 'I'm so filthy… I'm so filthy…' she repeated the words over and over again. A drop of tear dripped down her chin and soaked her blanket.

'I'm so filthy, I have to resort to such means to obtain money…'

She stared at the blots of blood on the bed-sheet and smiled. 'Mum, Mum! Your daughter is no longer a little girl now! Yes, I'm not a little girl anymore! Your daughter is a real woman! One real, big woman!' It was her blood. Her first and last 'blood'. Now she had to sacrifice it, just for a little cash.

She pulled the dusty curtains and looked outside the window. Another morning. The sun above the sky seemed to be mocking at her loss in the duel against her own innocence. In fact, everything in this world seemed to be laughing at her now.

Ring. Ring.

It was the familiar ringtone. Her parents and elder sisters must be worried about her. But she did not care. 'I'll show you that I can still make money during these times!' she laughed.

'_Last night was great, Miss.'_

Those words kept emerging in her mind. 'This is such an easy way… I just sleep with a man for one night, and I get so much cash! This is so easy! No need to work like a cow in those low-grade jobs!' she could not stop laughing like a maniac.

'Yeah… I just have to provide this filthy body to a guy who can "love" me, just for one night!'

She dug away all the banknotes on the bed greedily and cramped it into her branded handbag.

'One night, two nights, three nights…' she started to count as she picked up her sticky, half-torn clothes with her weak arms. 'That's right! I just need to sleep with a few more men to get enough and repay my debt!'

'And then…' she smiled sinisterly, '…if I could hook another big fish like _Edison_, maybe he would buy good stuff for me! I'm such a genius!' Her eyes widened in excitement at the thought of this.

_At that time, Kagami still did not know the consequences of her actions._

* * *

><p>That particular morning.<p>

'_Ohaiyo!' _she greeted as she stepped lazily into the kitchen. She had been having a nice chat over the Internet with another big fish she just 'hooked'.

'Just one more guy and I can finally repay my debt!' her heart was jumping up and down with elation. Her debt nightmare was finally going to end soon with her 'hard work'. She had been sleeping with five different men for the past fortnight.

'Ohaiyo,' her eldest sister greeted back. The whole Hiiragi residence was still ignorant of Kagami's actions.

'_Oh some female colleagues invited me to their house. You know, for work.'_

'Blatant lies!' she shouted at herself in her mind but she couldn't help blurt out those forged explanations.

'Where's Mum? Is she at the hospital again?' she asked her sister.

'Yeah, it seems that Tsukasa's injuries have worsened again.'

'_Ah, don't worry. Tsukasa's just fine. There's really nothing wrong, just some minor injuries. She'll be out of the hospital soon.' _That was what their mother said when she got home from the hospital the other day.

'You fine?' her elder sister noticed that she was a bit listless.

'Never mind. I'm just –' Kagami suddenly felt nauseous. Something seemed to have stuck in her chest. It was hot, hot like hell. She almost thought her chest was going to be completely burnt. Her stomach seemed to have turned upside-down at that moment. She grasped her throat with her bare hands, trying to vomit that something out, but she couldn't. She hurried over to the water basin, much to the shock of her sister.

'Are you alright?' her concerned sister asked. 'Shall I call the doctor?'

'No need, it's just –' Kagami could not take it anymore. She coughed a few times, trying to clear the 'thing' stuck in her chest. Her sister came to her side with a cup of water.

'You need water?'

'No thanks, but –' she finally forced out everything into the basin. Taking a few deep breathes after her ordeal; Kagami smiled at her sister and accepted the cup of water from her hand.

'You look pale, Kagami. Need to take some rest today?'

'Ah, I think I'll just go for a walk…' Kagami put on a false grin. Making sure that her sister did not discover the contents in the basin, she switched on the tap and washed away the mess. 'No problem, sis. I think I may have eaten something wrong last night.

'Impossible…' she cleared up her thoughts.

Kagami broke out into cold sweat. 'Impossible! Don't tell me…? It must have been that night! Yeah, that night when John and I were totally drunk! Oh my, now how am I going to tell my parents and sisters?'

* * *

><p><em>Author's Note: As seen from above, Kagami and Tsukasa's stories don't actually happen at the same time. The events of Chapter 4 (Tsukasa faints) takes place days after Chapter 2 (Kagami's problems). <em>


	9. Chapter 8: The Next of Konata

**_Chapter Eight_**

* * *

><p>'Why…? Why do I deserve this fate?'<p>

Konata cuddled herself under her blanket and began to muse.

Her career as a manga artist had gone. Forever. Her only and most aspiring career in her life.

No competition would recognize her work now. Nor would any company want to hire her to draw manga.

Everything was gone. Poof. Vanished like a cloud of smoke over the period of one night.

All because of a malicious idea that popped up in her mind all of a sudden.

And now, she had been found of plagiarism. Leaving behind an unsightly stain eternally in her life. A record that anybody could see clearly and perhaps uses it against her.

'W… What would they think if they found out that I've committed such a crime before?'

Konata started to imagine all the possible consequences of her actions.

'Fa… Father would surely kill me, for sure…'

The image of her usually kind and gentle father flying into a rage all of a sudden came into her mind. She shivered in fear.

'_I want you to remember this, Konata. As a writer myself, I also feel insulted when other people copy my work without my permission. So I hope that you'll not do something like that in the future, my daughter.'_

'Sorry, sorry… Father, I've let you down…' Konata wept.

But what could she do now? The news of her award being withdrawn would definitely be everywhere on the papers tomorrow. She had less than 24 hours before her deadline.

She didn't want her father to know anything about the incident. Not even the slightest hint of it.

Her father's health had already declined a lot over these seven years. 'Should he take such a huge blow like this…' Konata didn't want to think about what would happen to him.

'_Ms. Izumi, your father's heart condition…'_

All due to the decision she made! A stupid decision made by her lazy self!

Konata curled into a fetal position on her bed and cried. Her blanket, the bed sheets were all soaked by her tears.

'S… Somebody, help me, please…' she begged.

'_But what could I do now…?'_

* * *

><p>Ding. Dong.<p>

Another person's at the door.

'Who will it be?' Konata's eyes widened in astonishment. 'My father won't be back until evening. So who will it be? The police? The lawyer? Has the original manga artist finally decided to sue me at last? I have no money to compensate anyway…'

'Konata!' Somebody was banging the door. A female. Somebody who's as young as her, perhaps even younger. Somebody familiar.

'Konata! Konata!' the familiar voice shouted. 'Are you in there? It's me, Patricia Martin!'

Oh, it's just her fellow _otaku _friend.

But the blue-haired girl did not have the mood to reply to her. 'She's going to scold me again, just like in the phone…'

'Konata!' Patricia's loud voice repeated. 'Open the door, please! There's something you need to know!'

'What's there I need to know?' she thought. 'Copying other people's work? Plagiarism? Sorry, but I've already understood that, thank you.'

'_The Summer Manga Festival Committee has decided to withdraw your award…'_

The words were etched deeply in her mind. The biggest mistake she had ever done in her life.

'Konata! It's me, Patricia! Why aren't you answering?' her best friend still did not give up and continued to bang on her door.

'Noise!' Konata was sick of listening to any of her friends now. 'She must be here to either scoff or laugh at me!'

'Go away!' she barked at the door.

'What?' Patricia could not hear clearly.

'I said, GO AWAY! I don't need to hear anymore from you! You're not my friend, Patricia! What do you know about me?'

The words spouted out of her mouth, quick and deafening.

At that moment, Konata did not know what she was thinking. She was just angry. Angry at everyone in the world. Angry at God. Angry at herself for choosing a fate like this.

The banging of the door had stopped. '…Fine then,' Patricia said coldly. There were the sound of footsteps and no more was heard from the friend.

Konata leaned back on her bed and laughed sadistically. 'Ha ha… God, you finally made me lose everything, huh?'

Everything in her life had disappeared all of a sudden. Her job. Her future. Her aspirations. Now, her best friend. Not to say that tomorrow, her father might also disappear from her life as well.

'_What could I do now…? Tell me…!'_

* * *

><p>Her mind went all blank. The thoughts of herself landing in such despair had already overwhelmed her. Yet she could do nothing to reverse the situation. Her 'bad end' had already been fixed.<p>

'If I could end this life earlier…'

She stepped out of her bed, passed the messy stack of games and manga books on her floor, and out of her bedroom. Slowly, she trudged to the kitchen.

'To think that I would have to resort to such means…' Konata laughed out of extreme despair. To her, it was already unnecessary to proceed with her life. She did not want to walk on the road of life like other young people did. She wanted to end her ordeal, to free herself from such torture.

She wiped away the tears in her eyes. 'Yeah, Izumi Konata, you lazy bum, you have no other choice but to end this fate.'

Failure after failure, constantly falling down after another, her life had been at a total loss thus far.

With her trembling hand, she reached for the knife in the drawer…

* * *

><p><em>Author's Note: I need to clarify on this. No, plagiarism isn't that serious as Konata had thought in this chapter. Because of her lack of current affairs knowledge, her wild imagination led her to believe that her life would be ruined forever. Plus, she had very high hopes of winning the award, so when it's announced that her first prize had been withdrawn, it added more to her despair. <em>


	10. Chapter 9: The Next of Miyuki

**_Chapter Nine_**

* * *

><p>'…Why? Why do I deserve this fate?'<p>

Miyuki's mouth just hanged wide open as she stared miserably at her house from a distance.

It was just a terrible, terrible day for her. Probably the worst day of her life, ever, even worse than that evening when her former spouse came back from the pub, drunken, and started to beat her up for no good reason.

It was a day when she might finally lost everything she had, all the precious things she had once possessed.

* * *

><p>That particular morning, Mrs. Takane was out on a business trip with her husband.<p>

'_Sorry, Miss Miyuki, I can't take care of Jean and Jane for you for these few days…'_

Yet, Miyuki needed to hunt for a job herself. She was already on her tenth day and still no people would hire her. If she couldn't earn some money by the end of the month, the landlord would definitely kill her.

And so, she was left with no other choice but to leave her kids alone in the house.

The flames blazed ruthlessly. It engulfed the whole place, turning it into a giant fireball. Clouds of smoke rose out of the burning house, shrouding the whole place like the morning mist and suffocating everyone nearby with its pungent smell.

Firemen rushed in and out of the scene, braving through the inferno, trying to save the victims trapped inside it.

But alas, she saw nothing of her two beloved daughters yet.

Eyes closed, Miyuki clutched her hands together, begging devotedly to god that they would be fine.

'Please, please, please… Please save Jean and Jane, please…'

The fire burned even stronger, roaring like a hungry lion chasing after its prey. The men nearby tried to put out the fire, but their effort turned into nothing.

'Jean and Jane, I'm sorry… Mommy is sorry… I shouldn't have left you alone…' Miyuki wailed. There was nothing in her mind except the overwhelming sense of sorrow and despair.

'_Jean, you're the older sister, so take care of Jane for me, okay? I'll return in the evening with your favorite food.'_

How she regretted saying that! How she wished that she could turn back the clock and take back those words!

'What's wrong with me?' Miyuki blamed herself for all the misfortunes and tragedies so far.

All the 'mistakes' she had made emerged in her mind like a kaleidoscope of memories.

'If I could just persuade my mother to let me complete my studies…'

'If I had showed more care and toleration towards my husband…'

'If I had not left them alone at home…'

Miyuki cried even harder.

* * *

><p>Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.<p>

More than a quarter of a day had passed. Yet the fire was still raging, scorching bright in the middle of the night like a shining star.

Miyuki had lost all hope now. No more victims were found trapped in the house since two hours ago. The firemen had already turned their focus to extinguishing the fire. There's nothing more she could do now. Jean and Jane had gone forever. Lost.

She crouched at a corner, her hands trembling, repeating her 'mistakes' to herself, over and over again.

'I have failed… I'm not fit to be a daughter, nor a wife, not even a mother… I have failed…'

The whole world seemed to be mocking and booing at her for the deep trouble she had caused to the people around her.

'Sorry, sorry, sorry…'

'Quick! Fetch another pail of water!' shouted a man from behind.

'But what can you do now?' Miyuki mused. 'The house's gone, and there's no more hope in finding Jean and Jane now…'

She was so lost. Her daughters had been her only mental and emotional support since they were born. But now…

'Should I find my mother? But I've promised that I would not depend on her anymore,' said a voice in her mind

'Then whom should I go to?' replied another voice.

'It would be so great if I could just die now… I would be able to meet Jean and Jane in heaven then.'

'Die? No way! Miyuki, you should live on.'

The angel and demon in her mind were arguing furiously. She totally did not know whom should she believe. She had reached a diversion in her road of destiny, a path that she was walking on with nothing but only sad memories.

'Where should I go?' she shouted to herself. 'Someone please tell me, please!'


	11. What Happened Seven Hours Ago

**_Chapter 9.5_**

* * *

><p><em>Seven hours ago.<em>

Jean slowly opened her sleepy eyes and greeted herself to the windy evening. She was having a nice afternoon nap with her baby sister Jane.

'Mo… Mommy?' she asked. 'Oh yeah, Mommy's away for work. She told me to look after Jane…' The small girl was barely four years old but she seemed to have inherited her mother's intelligence, able to converse her thoughts well in comprehensible Japanese at such a young age.

Jane was still sleeping soundly in her cradle. Her older sister cautiously tiptoed out of the bedroom.

'It's six thirty now…' Jean mused as she stared at the wall clock with her two blurry eyes. 'I'm hungry…' Her stomach growled in response.

She trudged to the kitchen and immediately opened the refrigerator, hoping to look for some food.

Nothing. There was nothing in the fridge at all. Jean frowned in disappointment.

'Oh yeah! That's right!' She suddenly remembered something.

Slowly and creepily, the girl made her way to the cupboard, where her mother placed all her packets of instant noodles. She took out a packet and unwrapped it.

'Is Mommy having all these for her dinner?' she thought. 'Is she having some financial difficulties? Why is she eating all these? She said herself that instant noodles are bad for health.'

'Fire, fire…' she said to herself as she walked over to the stove.

'_Remember Jean and Jane, don't play with fire! It's dangerous!'_

'I'm not playing with fire anyway,' Jean tried to find an excuse for her. 'I'm just cooking something to fill up my stomach.' She switched the stove open.

'Whoosh!' A gust of wind suddenly blew into the kitchen. Jean tried to close the windows but found out that she was not tall enough to reach them, even as she was standing on the stool. She let out a grudge and returned to retrieve her pot.

Another gust of wind blew. This time, it was much stronger.

The pot had been half-filled with water. Jean closed the running tap and brought it over to the stove.

As she turned her head back, her eyes widened in horror.

There was an inferno on the stove, reaching its claws like a demon towards the surroundings. As the wind blew stronger and stronger, the fire burned fiercer.

Jean couldn't do anything at all. She stared blankly as the monstrous fire started to devour the whole kitchen up.


	12. Chapter 10: The Next of Tsukasa

**_Chapter Ten_**

* * *

><p>'Sir, please.'<p>

The nurse in-duty bowed respectfully to the uniformed man who walked into the ward, holding a special pass in his right hand to identify himself as a police officer.

He took out a notebook and a pen from his large blue jacket and sat down on the chair beside the only bed in the room.

'W… Who are you? W… Why are y… you here?' the purple-haired girl lying down was rather intimidated by the police officer's appearance. She struggled to break free of the leather straps holding her to the bed, but unfortunately she could not do so.

'Don't worry, Miss Hiiragi,' the young police officer warmly smiled at her. He paused to observe her emotions and actions carefully, and only continued when he noticed that she was not as fearful of him as a few moments ago.

'I'm from the Kasukabe Police Station. I would like to ask you a few questions. It won't take long.'

'…A… Al… Alright…' the girl named Tsukasa stammered in apprehension.

'Miss Hiiragi,' began the officer. 'Can you still remember what happened on the X-th, which is one day before you woke up in this hospital?'

'I… I don't know…' Tsukasa replied. She closed her eyes and cringed, trying to recall what happened on that day. 'I… I only know that I fainted on that day… A… After I shouted at the office…'

'Is that all you could remember?' asked the officer.

'I… I don't know, sir…' Tsukasa shook her head vigorously. 'I… I re… really don't know, sir…!'

'Really?' was the police officer's reply. 'You really can't remember anything, Miss Hiiragi?' He seemed determined to find out the truth no matter what.

'I really can't remember, s… sir…' Tsukasa started to weep. She kept shaking her head like a maniac. 'I don't want to remember, sir…' she begged. Tears were already dripping down her cheeks.

The officer paused, looked at her for a few moments, then said, 'thank you Miss Hiiragi. I appreciate your help.' He stepped out of the room, looking a bit disappointed. The door banged shut behind him.

Tsukasa was still closing her eyes, refusing to look at the world she was in. She did not want to look at it ever again; it was a world where she had lived without hope, a world where everything seemed to be acting against her, no matter how hard she had endeavored.

'W… Why…? Why am I…?' She banged the bed weakly with her fists.

* * *

><p>'Selective memory loss, madam,' said the police officer, taking a sip of coffee. He and Mrs. Hiiragi were sitting on a bench in the garden. Mrs. Hiiragi seemed rather anxious. She was frowning.<p>

'S… Selective memory loss? What is it, sir?'

'I'll say it in simpler terms, madam. Basically Miss Hiiragi has already forgotten what happened on the X-th. She could only remember that she fainted.'

Mrs. Hiiragi was not convinced. 'S… So? Will she be charged?'

'Hmm…' the police officer contemplated for a while about her words, and replied. 'Probably not. But the company might still ask for compensation from her.'

The mother of four was still very worried about her beloved youngest daughter. She clutched her hands tightly together, perspiration dripping down from her forehead.

* * *

><p>'<em>Is that the patient who assaulted her colleagues in her company?'<em>

'_Yeah, I think so…' _

'_Ouch. That's so bad… But why did the newspaper not publish it?'_

'_I think it's because the company's in some financial troubles. You know, they can't afford to lose their reputation now…'_

'_So how would they resolve the problem now?'_

'_I actually heard that they would ask for compensation from the patient's family. But now, the real mess is that the patient actually can't remember anything about it…'_

Tsukasa was awakened by the chit chatting of the two nurses who passed by the corridor outside. She understood that they were referring to her, but yet she couldn't do anything to defend herself.

'I'm so useless…' she said to herself. 'I can't remember anything, w… why…?'

'_Hey, Tsukasa! Why can't you be more like your elder sister?' _

Those sharp words stabbed right in her mind like a thousand knives. It was so painful, yet more and more emerged to attack her.

'_Hey, Tsukasa! You're such a loser!' _

'_Hey, Tsukasa! Why did you assault your colleagues?'_

'_Hey, Tsukasa! Why can't you get anything right?' _

'_Hey, Tsukasa…!'_

'NO…!' the poor girl cried once again. She banged her head against the white walls of the hospital and shook her whole body madly, quaking the whole bed so vigorously that it might fall anytime.

'No! No! No! No! No!' She called out to the voices in her brain, begging it to stop blaming her for everything. 'P… Please! Stop it! Please…! Don't… don't…!'

'_Hey, Tsukasa! Why do you always fail?' _

'_Hey, Tsukasa…!' _

'_Hey!' _

The voices in her mind were mocking at her. They were laughing at her again, just like the last time in her company. Tsukasa couldn't take them anymore. She banged and banged her head against the wall, trying to end all of this. Red blood started to flow down her forehead.

* * *

><p>…<p>

'…_Why? Why do I deserve this fate…?' _

…


	13. From the Next to the Conclusion

**_Chapter 10.5_**

* * *

><p>'<em>No matter what happens, the four of us will be together, even after graduation, yeah?'<em>

'_I promise.'_

'_I promise.' _

'_We will share our problems to each other. We will never be alone.'_

…

* * *

><p>They have finally encountered the twists and turns of their fates.<p>

They have been overwhelmed by the despair in their hearts.

Can the promise be fulfilled?

Can they remember the bonds they once held?

* * *

><p><em>Ending the second part of the story…<em>

…_Comes a third part._

* * *

><p><em>The conclusion arc of the series…<em>

_…Connecting the eventual destinies of our girls together._

* * *

><p><em>Now then, the stars shall cross.<em>


	14. Chapter 11: The Conclusion Part One

**_Chapter Eleven_**

* * *

><p>'Kagami, why are you in the hospital?'<p>

She stopped her hasty footsteps and turned around in fear. Before her was her mother, her two concerned yet warm eyes gazing at her, trying to find out the truth.

'Kagami, why are you in the hospital?' her mother repeated her question. Kagami shivered in apprehension.

'I… I'm j… just here to visit Tsukasa,' stammered Kagami, who was trying her best to smile. She looked at her mother's confused expression and reassured her, 'y… yeah, j… just to visit her. S… She's in… injured, isn't it Mum?'

'…Don't lie to me, Kagami,' said Mrs. Hiiragi. 'I saw you coming out of the gynecologist just now. Tell Mummy truly, why are you here?' She paused to take a look at the brown envelope in Kagami's trembling hand. 'And tell me, what's in that?'

'O… Oh…' Her daughter faked a few coughs. 'I… I was a bit unwell, so I went to the doctor to get some medication.' She had a premonition that such a lame excuse would definitely not get past her mother.

Indeed, it was.

'Then how come you were at the gynecologist?' her mother interrogated. Kagami cursed herself for not making up a better reason.

'What's in that?' asked Mrs. Hiiragi, now frowning. She walked over to Kagami and tried to pull the envelope out of her hand.

'Don't!' Kagami refused, tugging the envelope back from her mother. 'I say, don't – look – inside – it!'

'Then tell me! What's in that?' her mother endeavored to grab the brown container from Kagami. 'What did you get from the gynecologist?'

'No!' Kagami used all her force to pull the envelope back to her. 'You mustn't know about it, Mum!'

Tear!

The envelope broke open and all the contents inside it came into light. Dropping on the floor was a small plastic bag with a few orange pills inside, with the label 'morning sickness' neatly written on it.

Kagami closed her eyes and covered her ears with both her hands, trying not to see her mother or hear her voice.

'Sorry, Mum, I'm really sorry…' she cried. 'I… I didn't meant to… I'm really, really sorry, Mum… Sorry…' she repeated those words, grieving over the mistake she had done. She did not care about what would happen to her, or what her mother or her family would think about her in the future. She just wanted them to forgive her.

* * *

><p>…<p>

'_What should I do?' _

Kagami was in a total dilemma. She couldn't think of any better way. Should she give up the baby? Should she abort it? Which one should she choose?

'Kagami…' her mother patted her long, lavender hair. 'I don't blame you for this. Everyone makes mistakes, my daughter…'

She paused to wipe off Kagami's tears with a piece of tissue and smiled warmly at her. 'There you go, Kagami.'

'T… Thanks, Mum…' Kagami hadn't said a word of appreciation to her mother for years. She finally understood her mistake. Her arrogance and desire to win over other people had overwhelmed her thoughts all these times. Not only did it cost her occupation, but also her virginity, and now she probably had to bear a child because of this.

'This is God's punishment for me…' Kagami whispered to herself, touching her belly softly. 'God wants me to make the decision…'

_Should she give birth to the baby now resting inside her body? Or should she deprive him of a chance to see the outside world? _

_What should she do?_

'Kagami, you must have the baby. It's your blood-and-flesh after all,' said a voice in her mind.

'No you can't, Kagami! How are you going to support him in the future? You don't have any money now, you know!' yelled another voice.

'You must have the baby!'

'No, you can't!'

'You must!'

'No!'

'…'

* * *

><p>'Kagami?' Mrs. Hiiragi noticed that Kagami did not let out a voice at all. Her clothes were drenched by the perspiration that dripped down from her chin.<p>

'Mum…' Kagami replied weakly and monotonously. 'Tell me… What should I do? Mum…'

Ring. Ring.

Kagami was interrupted by a sudden phone call to her mother.

'…Hello? M… Miki Hiiragi speaking.' Her mother picked up her mobile phone, looking rather anxious and worried.

Kagami raised her eyebrows. She had a vague premonition that something might have gone wrong.

'What?' Her mother cried in horror as she listened attentively to the voice in the phone. 'Tsu… Tsukasa? O… Okay, I'll come over as soon as possible.' She hanged up her phone, her eyes wide open.

'W… What happened, Mum?' asked Kagami.

'Tsu… Tsu… ka… ka… sa…' stammered Mrs. Hiiragi.

'What happened to Tsukasa?' Kagami understood that she must leave her problems behind for now, because protecting her younger sister was her first priority. No matter how arrogant she was, no matter how much despair she was going through, Tsukasa was one of the most important people in her life, and she must cherish the bonds with her. No one would replace Tsukasa in her heart.

'What happened, Mum?'

'T… Tsu…' Her mother was trembling. Her mouth was hanging open, and Kagami could see that there was no other emotion on her face other than fear. Something bad must have happened to Tsukasa.

* * *

><p>'Tsukasa!' cried her mother as she barged into the ward fearfully. '…Why? W… What happened to you?'<p>

Kagami turned her head away in disgust. She couldn't imagine that such a destiny would eventually befall on her sister. It was as if believing that she herself had never made her mistakes and gotten pregnant. She covered her mouth and nose with her palm, having the feeling that she was going to vomit all of a sudden.

There was a sad atmosphere hanging in the air. The hospital ward reeked of the odor of blood. Fresh human blood. The hideous smell overwhelmed Kagami's senses, making her even more nauseous.

From the far end of the ward came the beeping sound of the electrocardiogram. The beeping sound didn't pause at all. It seemed to be endless, piercing into the ears of everyone in the ward.

The mother of four nearly fainted as she looked at the scene in the ward. 'W… What happened? Tsu… Tsukasa… What happened to you?' She repeated her sorrowful words over and over again, staring into the bed that her youngest daughter was just lying on.

Trembling, Kagami turned her head to look at the bed.

There was no more Tsukasa on the bed. Just a cold, white blanket that covered what seemed to be a body. The body of that purple-haired girl who was once cheerful and hardworking, but eventually succumbed to the stress she was burdened with and fell into the abyss of insanity as a result.

'Sorry…' A nurse came over to Mrs. Hiiragi and consoled her. 'While we're not around, Miss Hiiragi…'

Kagami clenched her fist. A tear dripped out of her beautiful sapphire eye. She did not understand what made her sister to undergo such pain. 'W… Why? Isn't it just a minor "injury"? Why d… does this to my family, God? Why do you want to make us suffer so much? Tell me! Why?'


	15. Chapter 12: The Conclusion Part Two

**_Chapter Twelve_**

* * *

><p>'Stop, Konata!' cried Patricia, as she did all she could to grab away the knife from her senior's trembling hand. The sharp blade cut deeply into her palm and blood was flowing profusely out of the long wound. Despite her injuries, she was determined to stop Konata no matter what.<p>

'No, Patricia! You won't understand!' retorted Konata, who used all her might to pull the knife back to her.

'Killing yourself won't help anything, Konata!' yelled Patricia.

'My career's already gone, my father must be very angry now… Tell me! What could I do other than ending my own life?' Konata tried to push away her friend who was tugging at the knife.

'No, you can't! Think about your father, Konata! What will he feel if you treat yourself like that?'

'I don't care!' screamed the blue-haired girl. 'This world is no longer fit for me to live in! I just want to die!'

'Konata! You must live on!' shouted Patricia. 'You mustn't be discouraged just because you did something like that! There are still many opportunities out there for you to try!' She put in all her force and pulled the knife away from Konata for one last time.

And then, tragedy happened.

The knife suddenly slipped out of Konata's hand, darting towards Patricia at such a high speed that she didn't have any time to react. The shiny, silver blade stabbed into her chest, right at the heart. Konata's eyes widened in extreme shock as blood began to seep out and turned her friend's blouse red.

'P… P… Patricia…?' she stammered.

Patricia took a step backwards and tumbled down to the floor, her two black, lifeless eyes staring at Konata. Her face was drained of all the radiance and started to turn pale. She held her chest with her left hand and reached out the other, still dripping with blood, to Konata.

'K… Ko… Ko… na… ta…' Patricia whispered weakly to her.

Konata was speechless. She was already very terrified by what she had seen. She stood frozen in a corner, her mouth hanging wide open, not knowing what to do at all.

'P… P… Pat…?' Konata asked with a faint voice.

Her friend was lying in a pool of blood, gasping desperately like a fish out of water. Her body was already shivering vigorously. 'K… Ko… Ko…' was all she could say.

After one last breath, Patricia lost consciousness. Her right arm fell back to the puddle of blood.

'I… I've… I've m… mur… murdered m… my friend…' stammered Konata, who was perspiring profusely. 'W… What should I… I d… do?' She was totally at a loss.

She imagined all the consequences that might occur to her.

'Now it's worse than plagiarism…' mused Konata, her eyes fixed at the cold, lifeless body in front of her. She took a few steps backwards, moving further and further away from the body. 'I… I'm definitely going to jail for this… I… I don't want to go to jail…'

She regretted picking up that knife. She regretted shouting at Patricia just now. Her friend did nothing wrong at all. All she did was for her good. Even if she had walked away from her house, she could still sense that Konata had something in her mind and returned to help her nonetheless.

'W… What should I do…?' repeated Konata. She buried her face deep in her hands and started crying. She had made herself a sinful person in a matter of minutes. Nobody would be able to forgive her now that she had murdered someone. Not to mention that it was one of her best friends who had even worked together with her in the past.

* * *

><p>'<em>It all started because I was lazy…'<em>

Konata realized her mistake. If she hadn't been so unwilling to work hard and think of playing all day, none of these would have ever happened. She would not have copied someone else's work. She would not have been charged of plagiarism. She would not have thought of committing suicide. Patricia would not have died because of her.

* * *

><p><em>All these sins were committed because of her.<em>

She knelt down to give her deepest condolences to Patricia. 'Sorry… Patricia… Sorry…' she apologized and apologized to her.

'But what should I do now?' cried Konata. 'I don't want to go to jail! Who would look after Dad if I go to jail?' The image of her father came into her mind.

'Should I end my own life?' She gazed at the knife that was deeply stabbed into Patricia's chest and contemplated. 'No… What if I accidentally killed someone else again?' She thought of the possibility that one of her friends might show up in the kitchen again.

'I must dispose this body away…' thought Konata, staring at the corpse on the floor. '…Nobody should know about this…'

Konata turned to look at the phone on the table. 'Maybe I should call someone to help. Miyuki has her car, isn't it? It would be nice if she could help me drive this body to somewhere far away…' An idea came up in her mind again.

But in fact, she didn't know that she was only using one mistake to cover up for another mistake she had done.

* * *

><p>Beep. Beep.<p>

'What? Miyuki's not at home?' Konata let out a grudge. 'Then, I should try her mobile phone number… She couldn't have possibly switched off that too…' She bent down to press the buttons on her phone. Knowing what kind of a person Miyuki had been since high school, Konata was absolutely sure that she would pick up her mobile phone.

Beside her was a big brown bag. Konata had dissected Patricia's body up into various parts and squeezed all of them into that bag. She planned to throw that abomination into some big lake or the sea and let it disappear forever.

Beep. Beep. Miyuki didn't pick up her mobile phone again.

'Why?' Konata started to panic. She repeatedly pressed the phone for Miyuki, but she still did not pick up her phone. 'Why? Why do you have to do this to me, God? Why? WHY?' she cried.

Creak.

'Konata, I'm back!' The house door opened. 'Whoa, it's been a tiring day…' He took off his shoes and stepped into the house. 'What's that in there? You preparing to go overseas?' Smiling, he pointed to the big brown bag beside Konata's table.

Konata froze. She didn't know how to explain everything to her father. She had expected him to come back only in the evening, and she would have hidden away all her secrets without worries. But now, she was left with no other choice.

'I started all of these, and so I must end this now…' She took out the bloody knife from her pocket and trudged sadly towards her father…

'_Sorry, my father…' _


	16. Chapter 13: The Conclusion Part Three

**_Chapter Thirteen_**

* * *

><p>'<em>Should I die now… Or should I not?'<em>

* * *

><p>She had already made her decision.<p>

There was a building in the neighborhood. Thirty storeys tall, it reached higher than any other tower in the vicinity. It was a block of apartments, housing over a hundred happy families in the town; some couples, others with children.

It was three in the afternoon. As it was a Sunday, most of the residents inside the apartment would stay in their homes to relax and bond with their family members and neighbors. Housewives would gossip with each other, while the children would play together and have fun. A vibrant and joyous atmosphere surrounded the whole apartment.

Unfortunately, it was not such for the young woman who was standing at the top of the building, looking at the town below with her swollen, lifeless eyes. There was nothing in the woman's mind but despair, an overwhelming sense of hopelessness that devoured away all the happy memories that she had once owned.

Like the residents of the building, the young woman could also have a happy and wonderful family; a home that she could live, dine and relax comfortably in. Unfortunately, it all turned into sorrow.

When the young woman finally decided that she should escape from the family together with her two daughters once and for all, what followed were only more tragedies.

Now, left with only her and all the despair that had accumulated in her mind, the young woman made the decision that she should not continue her suffering in this world anymore. She already had enough.

The tall height of the apartment seemed to symbolize the amount of grief that had burdened her throughout her twenty-four years of life. She couldn't take anymore of such grief. 'Now I must end everything…' she mused as she gazed at the people and the houses below. The laughter and joyful sounds of those people only added to her despair.

* * *

><p>'<em>Jean, Jane, have you been good girls?'<em>

'_Yes, Mum! We didn't cause any problems to Mrs. Takane!'_

'_Ya ya!' _

'_That's great, Jean and Jane! What do you want to do for tonight?'_

'_I want to play with Mum!'_

'_Ya ya!' _

'_Okay, we'll play then.'_

'_Hooray! Thanks, Mum! _

The smiling faces of those kids emerged in her mind. Rather than bringing her happiness and hope, it made her even more sorrow now that those kids no longer existed in this world. They had gone to an even better place, to live together with the little fairies and deities.

'Jean... Jane…' The young woman wept, thinking of all the sad past that she had gone through.

'_Sorry, Jean, Jane, I can't play with you tonight. Mum has an interview. It's for a very important job…'_

She stepped on the edge of the tall building, her eyes closed. She did not want to see any more of this world anymore. It was a place of sin for her, somewhere that she had lived with total despair in.

She took a deep breath and cleared her thoughts. Smiling weakly, she prayed that she would be happier in the other world after she had jumped down the building.

The wind lapped gently against her beautiful, pink long hair. It seemed to be an invitation from the fairies, to welcome her to the other world.

'_Jean, Jane, I'm coming with you now… I'm going to play with both of you now…'_

'To live on in this world will be continuing this endless chain of sorrow and despair for me…' Soaking with tears in her eyes, she took a leap into the abyss below and was heard no more.

...

* * *

><p>...<p>

'_Hey look, there she is! I heard rumors that she's the Hiiragi daughter who got herself pregnant…'_

'_How unfortunate she is… becoming a hooker just because she has to pay a big debt…'_

'_Who's the father anyway…?'_

'_Serves her right! Who told her to play with stocks when she's already earning so much money from the law firm…?'_

'_Calm down, there's no need to be so mean to her like this…'_

* * *

><p>Keeping her head low, Kagami slowly walked past the housewives who gathered around the neighborhood to gossip every morning. After what happened in the hospital that day, it was inevitable that the whole town would know about her problems in a matter of a few nights. Kagami understood this very well.<p>

Even though her parents had forgiven her for what she had done and had also promised to help her clear her debt, she did not expect the people in the town to hold the same attitude towards her. She brought shame to the town, after all.

The consequences were evident. The old ladies who passed by her every morning no longer greeted her like they used to. Her parents' guests no longer praised her for her success in her academics and career when they visited the Hiiragi residence.

But Kagami was not the only one blamed for everything.

* * *

><p>'<em>Hiiragi Tsukasa? That girl who passed away a few days ago?'<em>

'_Yeah, I heard she killed herself in the hospital by biting her tongue away.'_

'_No no, I heard she killed herself by some other method. But anyway, the Hiiragi family seems to have a lot of problems lately.'_

'_Definitely… Just look at her twin sister Kagami…' _

'_I think the family is cursed. What an irony considering that they have worked for the shrine for decades…' _

'_What a shame to our town…'_

* * *

><p>Kagami bit her teeth. She wanted to step up to those housewives and rebut them, 'hey! My sister did nothing wrong! If anyone, I should be the one to be blamed!', but she knew that she just couldn't do so.<p>

'I should have died instead of Tsukasa…'

Kagami crouched down in a dark corner and started to think of all her wrongdoings.

'Indeed… Why did I hope to gain so much money in the very beginning? What a greedy fool am I! Since young, I have always been like that, yearning to surpass people in any way I can…'

She entered a flashback of herself in her third year of junior high school, when she was busy studying in a corner while all her friends had gone out to play.

'That's why I end up like this… I had wished to surpass other people through earning lots and lots of money, but I chose the wrong way to do it…'

* * *

><p>'<em>That's it! I'm resigning! I'm going to find another law firm that can pay me higher wages!'<em>

'_Tonight was great, Miss…'_

Recollections and recollections of her past mistakes came into her mind. As she thought about every sin she had committed, a streak of tear rolled down her cheeks.

'And now…' she wept. '… I can't even fight a lawsuit for Tsukasa… Mum and Dad had to compensate so much money to her company, even when she has passed away…'

'_Sis, don't cry…' _

'That's right, Tsukasa…' said Kagami, wiping away the tears in her eyes. 'I mustn't cry…' She patted her belly gently. Inside it contained her blood-and-flesh, her precious child. She had already decided to give birth to him, despite without a father. 'Don't worry… Mummy will definitely take care of you… Mummy not let you repeat the same mistake Mum have done, no matter what…'


	17. Epilogue

**_Epilogue_**

* * *

><p>Drizzling. It was as if Heaven felt sorry for the cruel fates the four girls had faced and was crying tears of sympathy for them.<p>

Holding a black umbrella in her right hand, Kagami cautiously walked along the aisle in front of the shops. As she took each step, she held on to her tummy, careful not to trip over the slippery floor.

She was heading towards the sushi shop only a few hundred yards away from her house, where she worked there as a cashier, earning some money to raise her child when he would come out around half a year later. Thankfully, the shop owner was a very good friend of her mother, or he wouldn't have hired her no matter how she had pleaded.

'_Tsukasa, Miyuki, are you both fine up there?'_

Kagami looked up in the dark, gloomy sky and thought about her two best friends who had just passed away three months ago.

The drizzle gradually reduced, perhaps indicating a reply from them that they were indeed fine up there in the heavens. Kagami smiled.

'That's great…' she imagined both of them in her mind. '…By the way, I visited Konata earlier this week...'

* * *

><p>Konata escaped away after she had injured her father. She was arrested about a week later in Kyoto. According to the police, they had found a bag containing the mutilated body of American-Japanese Patricia Martin as well as an unconscious Soujirou Konata in her house.<p>

'Apparently, Konata did not murder Patty at all. She would probably be given a lighter sentence,' Kagami clasped her hands together and whispered her words of appreciation to God.

Kagami slowly stepped down a flight of stairs and stepped on the road leading to another row of shops. She let out a long sigh. 'If only she could really realize what she has done…'

* * *

><p>'<em>What happened to you, Konata?'<em>

'…'

'…_What happened, Konata? Why do you have to do this?' _

'…'

'_Can you tell me? I promise I will help you in any way I can…' _

'…_It's all over now…'_

* * *

><p>'I don't understand…' thought Kagami, as she fastened her pace to walk across the road to the opposite side. '…Why? Why are we all suffering the same tragic destinies? Is this some kind of test by God? Why…?'<p>

Throughout these ten weeks, Kagami had been asking herself the same question over and over again. 'Why now? Why make us suffer only now?' But even as she tried all she could to think, she still could not seem to find the answer behind everything.

Entering the sushi shop, Kagami greeted the shop owner and his wife who were preparing the necessary ingredients for the day. She thanked silently to God once more, for allowing her to live on together with her child.

'…_We will share our problems. We will never be alone…' _

'Things would have turned better if we had sought help from each other, yeah?' Kagami imagined her three best friends smiling at her in agreement. 'Indeed, how foolish we were…'

She recalled those days during high school, when the four of them were still together, chatting and playing during their free time, helping each other in need.

* * *

><p>'<em>We failed your test, God. The test of friendship…' <em>Kagami realized the answer now.

But it was all too late. The drizzle seemed to never end.

* * *

><p><em>Fin<em>

* * *

><p>star-crossed<p>

_(adjective)_ poetic/literary

_Meaning_: (of a person or a plan) thwarted by bad luck.

* * *

><p><strong><em>A Last Note from the Author:<em>**

Finally, StarCrossed has ended its run. Thank you very much for all your reviews. I truly appreciate some of the constructive suggestions you guys have made to improve my story. _Arigatou Gozaimasu!_

The idea for StarCrossed came up during my winter break. I originally planned to write a Lucky Star dark fic (check out TvTropes if you don't know) with Kogami Akira (the Lucky Channel host) as a wanted serial killer who murdered the Lucky Star cast because she was jealous of them stealing away all her screentime. But then, I thought, 'why not I do it the reverse way and instead make the Lucky Star cast suffer in their cruel destinies instead? Akira-sama was already treated so badly in the show. *laughs*' So StarCrossed was created.

'And would our four girls suffer?' was my next question. The idea of magnifying the characters' flaws and make them an obstacle in their future lives popped up in my mind. Kagami would lose all her money because of her arrogance and become a prostitute; Konata's laziness would cause her to commit crimes such as plagiarism and ruin her career as a manga artist... Those were the interesting topics that I had planned to cover in StarCrossed after altering the draft again and again.

Despite this, there must be a theme behind that connects all the chapters together. 'Loneliness' and 'despair' are two that emerged in my mind. I wanted to make life drastically different for our four girls after they have graduated compared to when they were in high school. During high school, they were still good friends and optimistic teenagers with lots of hopes in their lives. After they have graduated, they would become the exact opposite: loners who refused to share with each other their problems in life and overwhelmed with hopelessness in their hearts.

So yeah, these are some of my thoughts before I started to write StarCrossed. Hope you all will like this fanfiction. Thank you so much!

* * *

><p><strong><em>Preview: <em>**Oh yes, I will be writing a special chapter that illustrates the lives of the side characters (Yutaka, Minami etc), taking place again seven years after Lucky Star had ended. Besides this, I'm also planning to rewrite StarCrossed in a way that would be suitable to be rated 'T' and below. So stay tuned!


	18. A New Chapter

**_Star-Crossed: A New Chapter_**

_- How the despair of one person created the suffering of another person, and another…_

* * *

><p>It wasn't Yutaka's choice in the first place.<p>

Three of her best friends had disappeared in her life, never to return again. Her cousin, the sister-like figure whom she had admired so much during her younger days had been arrested and might face several years behind bars alone.

Why? Why did God chose her? Why did he make her suffer so much, when he was supposed to be giving hope and light to the people in the world?

Worse still, she had to bear the consequences because of this.

It was that particular night. Yutaka could not sleep at all. She had been having nightmares. Nightmares about all her best friends meeting with undesirable tragedies and leaving her for good.

The bedroom door was open. Yutaka noticed that the lights in the living room outside were still switched on.

'Who could it be at such late hours?' Concerned, she tiptoed down her bed.

Hiding behind the door, Yutaka could vaguely make out some voices outside. It seemed that her elder sister, Yui and her mother were still awake. Even though she understood that eavesdropping on other people was wrong, she was curious about what her family could be talking about so late in the night.

Someone was weeping. Was it Yui? Or was it her mother?

'M… Mum…'

'But why? Why is Mum crying?' thought Yutaka.

'Calm down, Mum…' consoled her elder sister. 'I can always find another job…'

'What happened to Yui-neesan? Was she fired from the police force? But why?' Of course, Yutaka understood the reason very well. It was only natural that her elder sister would face such consequences, especially after what had happened with Konata.

Yutaka stayed awake all night, thinking about what had happened to her family and friends. It didn't feel good being the only person left out in the family at all.

From a young age, her parents would solve each and every problem that she had faced in her life because of her health conditions. Even when her father landed in bed due to an accident, her elder sister took over the job of babysitting her, taking care of her everything, including all her concerns and sorrows.

'Now, I must do something…' thought Yutaka. She mustn't be the baby that she used to be in the past.

But what could she do?

Yui's career had been ruined, and it was still unsure whether she would get employed or not due to her relationship with Konata. For Yutaka herself, she was still in her third year of university, which she had been repeating for the second time already. She did not want to imagine the financial burdens that her family would face.

Yutaka was in a dilemma. Should she just drop out of university and find a job? 'No, I can't…' she thought of Miyuki and Tsukasa. But continuing on her education would not help anything either.

'Why? Why me?' Yutaka was totally at a loss. She had to make her decision now, before it was all too late.

* * *

><p>'Bye bye, Cherry…'<p>

Wiping off the tears in her eyes, Minami bid farewell to the large, white hound that had accompanied her for more than a decade. It let out a long, sad howl; as if it knew that its master would be leaving her forever.

Minami had no other alternatives. The longer she stayed in this nightmarish place, the more the despair she would succumb to eventually. She did not want to land up in undesirable situations like all her other friends did.

She couldn't take the pressure anymore. For the past month, she had enough already. Her mailbox was stuffed with all the letters that contained nothing but bad news. Her telephone rang and rang and rang, and each time she picked it up it would definitely be the things she did not want to hear. She had enough already. She wanted to start afresh.

'Even if it means to discard everything I possess now…' Minami took a deep breath and crushed the last bit of her memories, setting it on fire. It was a photo of her and all her friends during the last high school festival they had together.

'I have no choice but to run away, now…' Minami said to herself. Three hours more and she would be away, to America, where she would live without any worries. Her parents fully supported her wish.

She switched on her phone and deleted Yutaka's number, along with those of her other friends. 'Sorry…' Minami wept. She understood what her friends would think if they realized that she had escaped without leaving a trace, but she just didn't have the bravery to confess to them.

'I'm such a coward…' cried Minami, tears welling in her red swollen eyes. '…I am escaping from fate, I don't even have the courage to face it…'

But she had already made up her decision. She couldn't regret anymore. The only thing that she could do now was to move ahead.

Tugging a simple luggage bag with her, she stepped out of her mansion and headed on her path towards 'freedom'.

* * *

><p>…<p>

…

'_Breaking News: The airplane heading towards New York from Tokyo crashed. No survivors were found…'_

…

* * *

><p>'<em>I failed your test, God… The test of friendship…'<em>

* * *

><p><em>End<em>

* * *

><p><strong>AN: <strong>Yeah, so I finally finished Star-Crossed for real. Wait, I know what you are thinking about. I have left off three of the main characters - Hinata, Ayano and Misao. Because I couldn't think of suitable endings for them, I've decided to leave their fates ambiguous. Since the theme for this bonus chapter is, as mentioned above, 'how the despair of one person created the suffering of another person, and another...', it's up to you guys to interpret how would the previous stories affect the lives of those three. I promise, when I have thought of suitable endings for them, I will definitely write them down immediately.

Once again, thank you all for your support towards Star-Crossed. It's the first long fanfiction I've written so far, and it wouldn't be complete without your reviews and compliments. Bye! :D


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